nonpitched

Nonpitched is an adjective used in music to describe sounds or instruments that do not produce a definite pitch. This term is most commonly applied to percussion, distinguishing nonpitched percussion from pitched percussion such as the xylophone, timpani, or marimba, which can play specific notes.

Typical nonpitched percussion includes drums (such as bass drum and snare), cymbals, tambourine, and various hand percussion like shakers or rattles. In written music, nonpitched percussion is usually indicated on percussion staves with generic noteheads and instrument names rather than with fixed musical pitches.

The primary role of nonpitched percussion is rhythmic and timbral rather than melodic. These sounds provide rhythm, emphasis, and color within an ensemble, drum kit, or marching group, and they contribute to texture through dynamic contrasts and attack/decay characteristics. In notation, writers specify the instrument or apparatus to be played, rather than a pitch, allowing performers to produce the intended percussive effects.

Acoustically, nonpitched sounds often exhibit broad, inharmonic spectra with unstable or non-repeating fundamental frequencies. The perception of these sounds is typically dominated by rhythm, groove, and timbre rather than a definite musical pitch, although some nonpitched elements can suggest a tonal center through context or technique.

See also pitched percussion. Nonpitched remains a standard category in music education, orchestration, and performance practice for describing percussion instruments and sounds that do not produce fixed pitches.